May 21, 2025 • 31 mins
On The Move with Kristy Knichel
In this episode of TMSA’s On the Move, we sit down with Kristy Knichel, CEO of Knichel Logistics, Inc. and a featured speaker at the upcoming 2025 TMSA ELEVATE Conference. Kristy shares a preview of her powerful session, where she’ll unpack what it really takes to lead—not from the top down, but from the inside out.
We explore the importance of humility, resilience, and staying hands-on in an industry that’s constantly evolving. Kristy also reflects on her longevity in transportation and logistics, what’s kept her inspired over the years, and why she believes fostering the next generation of talent is one of the most important roles a leader can play.
Check out the Transportation Sales and Marketing Association (TMSA) website or engage with us on LinkedIn.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Hello everyone, welcome to On the Move, a show
where we share transportation,sales and marketing success
stories.
I am Jennifer Karpis-Romain,executive Director at the
Transportation Marketing andSales Association, which is a
trade nonprofit educating andconnecting marketing and sales
professionals in transportationand logistics, and today on the
(00:48):
show I have Christy Knitchell,ceo of Knitchell Logistics.
Welcome to the show, christy.
How are you doing today?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Doing great.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I am so excited to have you on the show today we
were talking before we went livehere that I am battling a bit
of a headache today.
But I was so excited to talk toyou that we are powering
through it and getting throughthe day.
But you've been in thelogistics industry for a long
time and really excited to kindof hear your journey a little
(01:18):
bit.
But what has kept you motivatedand inspired over the years?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
So I think what's kept me going is knowing that
I'm building something thatmakes an impact, not just in
moving freight but changingpeople's lives.
You know, motivated by my team,our partners, vendors,
customers especially the womenthat are entering into the space
, who didn't always seethemselves here and, of course,
(01:44):
my family family I don't want toforget that.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
but you know, I think , being a part of everyone's
journey, that I'm either workingwith um, whether in the company
or outside, and watching theirsuccess definitely fuels me I
love that and I do think I meanyou took over a family but you
did so much to get there, so Ithink having that family piece
(02:06):
is really important and I'mcurious throughout the years,
how has your leadership styleevolved as the company and as
the industry has changed?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
I would say, early on I felt I had to do everything
myself.
I think, honestly, early on youjust had to do everything
yourself, being a smallerbusiness and growing into a
bigger business.
So over time I think I'velearned the power of trust and
delegation.
I think there's times wherepeople you know, or even myself,
have still tried to hold on tothat.
(02:37):
But I think as we have grown,I've shifted from being in the
weeds to empowering others tolead, make those decisions,
giving them the autonomy to dothat.
I've definitely become moreintentional, more strategic,
specifically more in the pastcouple of years.
But I've also embraced coachingas a core part of my role, not
(02:58):
just for myself but for thepeople within the company.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I love that.
I think that's really importantto think about, and I know,
like at TMSA, we have a smallheadquarter team and we're
trying to grow it out.
But you do, you have to trustthe people around you, you have
to coach them to get them there,which I think is incredibly
important too, and so I likethat.
You said that I think too oftenwe were like, oh, we have to
micromanage, or things are goingto get done, but sometimes it's
(03:24):
like, hey, we have to trainthem and show them the way and
then let them figure out theirown way, and if we don't do that
, they're not going to succeed.
Of course, they can't take thatweight on if we don't let them
try.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yeah, and, interesting enough, I will just
add to this as well that's oneof the things we're struggling
with middle management right nowand honestly, I can understand
it because I was there, so Ifeel like I know what needs to
happen to get the people out ofthat holding on to the stuff
that needs to be done instead of, you know, delegating and
(03:58):
making their life easier.
But I think one of those tipsI'll just share and I told my
leadership team this today wehave to tell them what we need
them to do and give themdeadlines to do it, Because I
think in the past we tell themwe expect them to do it, but
right now our management teamunderneath the leadership team
is in the weeds, and theyshouldn't necessarily be in the
(04:20):
weeds, but they have to be rightnow, at this moment, so they
don't have time to think aboutthese other things that need to
be done or executed ordelegating.
So it's like we have to tellthem that this needs to be done
this way.
This is what's happening onthese days to just help push
them through that.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
I think that's really important and deadlines are
incredibly important to thatpiece of the process.
I think that we wanna make surewe're setting people up for
success and part of that issetting the parameters and how
to get there.
And so if we don't setdeadlines, if we don't tell
people "'Hey, this is when weneed something done' and then
(04:57):
they don't give it to us in thetimeframe that we think that
they should give it to us, weget angry or upset or they think
they're not doing it.
But really that's kind of on usto be like okay, no, you have x
amount of time to get this done.
If you're not going to likelet's talk through why and how
and like how can we like helpyou achieve these goals?
Speaker 2 (05:16):
and I feel like, as leaders, sometimes we forget
those components yeah, you'respot on, because I do think part
of it too is like you're alsotrying to train them on things
that we've done.
So again, you expect them tojust kind of pick it up because
we've done it for so long, andthen you forget what it was like
being in that position, tryingto learn and understand what the
(05:36):
expectations are, so absolutely.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Yes, and especially to like you can have the best
processes in place.
Yes, and especially, too, likeyou can have the best processes
in place.
But if there's a new humancoming in and taking over for
somebody else, their brains justmight not work in the same way
and so it may have taken thatother person quickly to pick up
or adapt, or like they're theone that created the position or
the role or the process so itmade sense to them.
(06:00):
But we have to take that timeto make sure it's making sense
for the new people too yeah,sometimes it's a different
language, right with a differentgeneration even of people.
So absolutely, and we talkedabout this a little bit as we're
going through here but what iskind of one leadership lesson?
You really had to learn thehard way so that you could adapt
(06:21):
for the future.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
So we just went through this this past year so
that not everyone is meant togrow with you.
I think a lot of people knowthat I've had a lot of people
work for me for a long time, soletting go of people, especially
ones that you care about, canbe incredibly hard, especially
since they've, you know, some ofthese people again have been
here a long time, so holding ontoo long can slow down the
(06:46):
entire organization.
I've learned that doing theright thing for the business
sometimes means making tough andvery emotional decisions.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Yeah, yeah, that's a hard one to learn, for sure.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Yeah, and I would say just to elaborate, like we're
at a level in the business, likea turning point at this hundred
million mark, where every CEO Italk about this is a tough mark
to be at and where differentchange has to come into play and
strategy and execution.
And you know as much as I lovethe people that have been here
and helping the company get towhere we're at, sometimes those
(07:20):
same people can't get over thechallenges or see, you know,
through the trees, the biggerpicture.
We work with those peopleobviously in getting some
coaching and all that kind ofstuff, but sometimes those
people just aren't going to makeit.
And one of the things I thinkwe've learned about that too is
in the past, most of the peoplewe've held on to to try to get
(07:40):
them there ultimately end up notbeing able to stay.
So then you look back at howmuch time, I don't want to say,
is wasted but how?
much time.
You really couldn't moveforward because you're trying to
get someone there, you know, sothat they continue to be a part
of your team, but ultimately ithurts the organization.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Yes, I think that kind of goes back to like
deadlines and parameters too,like, okay, what is a real
marker of success?
Can we get somebody here?
What we need them to do?
And one thing like I've learnedin my own leadership journey is
, like evolves, like your needschange with the market and with
your structure, and if oneperson your team leaves, it's
(08:23):
not always a direct replacementof that person.
It's like okay, well, if thatperson's gone, what skill sets
do we need to bring in?
What really makes sense for ushere?
How do we fill the void or makeit different or change?
And I think sometimes we getstuck of like, okay, this
person's gone, we have toreplace them.
but like, taking that step backand really thinking through what
the best structure is to moveforward is really important
(08:45):
absolutely and in an industrythat's known for its pace and
its pressure and, like you said,you're at this like big
milestone marker a lot of change, a lot movement.
But how do you stay groundedand sane in all of the change?
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Yeah, I mean that's a tough one.
I will say I remind myself whyI started.
I know early on I had somechallenges working with my
father you know that was like 28years ago but I always had this
vision of what the companycould be down the road if I just
continued to just push through.
I think that's one of thebiggest things I always say is
(09:23):
just pushing through.
But I lean on my family.
I have a lot of mentors that Iwork with my team.
I also, you know, try to makespace for reflection, whether
that's just taking some quiettime before you know my day
starts, or taking that time likeon my way home, sometimes
calling someone and having thosediscussions, just being
(09:46):
connected to the purpose and notjust like the performance.
It's easy to say like I'm donewith this, I just want to throw
the towel in, and that happens alot of times, going in your
head, you know, but um, if itwas easy, everyone would be
doing it.
Um, and I think for me it'scoming into this when I was 19,
(10:08):
quitting college and being ableto get to where I am today, I
think has just continues to pushme because I want to also be
that role model, thatinspiration that other people
can look up to and say I can dothis too, and I feel like, if I
stop, I don't want someone elseto think like that's okay,
because we can keep doing whatwe want to do.
(10:29):
You just have to put the time,effort.
You have to have the passionfor it, though, too, and I do
have a passion for what I dohere, not just in the business,
but, I think, just in theindustry overall, and being able
to work with all these greatpeople, that that we meet,
getting to know them, and it'sjust a great industry to be in,
so I think a lot of times thatreminds me, too, of why we're
(10:51):
doing this.
Um, and just the fact that youknow you cannot buy anything
without a truck delivering it,and being a part of, like, all
of that movement that happensthroughout the country to me is
just very special.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
It is special and it is a community to that's really
fun and engaging to be a part of.
And I agree it gets hard andsometimes you want to just be
like no, I need the nap forever,and but it is and I love what
you said like if I, if I give up, if I stop going, then the
(11:29):
people who look to me are goingto do that too, and so sometimes
that's all we need to keeppushing.
Yeah, knowing people arewatching you whether that's my.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
We need to keep pushing is that knowing people
are watching you, whether that'smy son, family, people around
me, but specifically people inthe industry because, again,
I've put myself in a position tohelp, to be an advocate, to be
an inspiration to other people.
So, yes, that definitely goesacross my mind at times, um, but
I think that's normal, though,in doing what we do as a CEO, to
(11:59):
have those ups and downs.
It's never going to just beeasy.
It's like a roller coaster.
I always say you have your gooddays, you have your bad days,
but at the end of the day, we'rebuilding something here that I
love being able to provide jobsfor people, for them to make
themselves successful, take careof their families too.
And, obviously, when there'sthings that don't go well, the
(12:21):
first thing my mind is I haveall these people that work for
me say, 56 people and theirfamilies and just being
cognizant of that, as you'regrowing a business and knowing
how that affects people.
Or, again, if you want to bedone and sell the company at
some point again, you know, juststarts pulling on you like,
okay, well, what does thisreally mean at the end of the
day, and who is going to affect?
(12:43):
I'm always thinking abouteveryone else instead of myself,
I think sometimes, but itdoesn't mean that I don't like
what I do or enjoy, you know,building this business.
But but all of those things, Iguess, wrapped in one.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Yeah, well, it's a lot of pressure and it's a
really tough market right now,and so all of that pressure
comes in and I think what yousaid before you just got to keep
pushing through and keepworking.
I think it's a good segue.
We saw each other a couple ofweeks ago at Broker Carrier
Summit and there is the Women inLogistics group and that's a
big thing that you're a part of.
So I know that you're verypassionate about advocating and
(13:22):
helping other women join theindustry, so can you tell us a
little bit more about Women inLogistics?
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Yeah, no, absolutely so.
Being a part of just Women inLogistics at the Broker Carrier
Summit, I think is reallyimportant, because it's
something that I think isdifferent than some of the other
things that are going on outthere.
Yes, there's women in truckingand there's these forums for
these women to go to, to kind ofcome together, but I think this
(13:48):
is a conference that's a littlebit different, that you're
bringing in different types ofpeople from different areas of
the supply chain, types ofpeople from different areas of
the supply chain and, I think,being able to build a community
I always say a tribe as well ofpeople around you that you can
relate to and then also helplift them up.
One of the things that I thinkinspires me to do this is the
(14:11):
fact I didn't have this when Iwas younger.
I didn't have people I could goto.
There wasn't any like women inlogistics launches or, you know,
women gatherings or any of thattill.
I didn't have people I could goto.
There wasn't any like women inlogistics lunches or, you know,
women gatherings or any of thattill.
I don't know, I wouldn't.
Maybe 10 years ago some of thisstarted up, but I think it's so
important for women to not justfeel safe but have other women
(14:32):
to look around to and have thoseconversations, not saying you
can't talk to men of course weall do and have that, that
support too, but it is differentwhen you're the only woman in
the room or there's only a fewof us.
So I do think it's a veryimportant mission not just for
me, but for a lot of women outthere I know it is for you as
well to just continue to buildthis up.
This is a great career for anywoman to have in any piece of
(14:55):
the supply chain, and there's somany different positions and I
don't want women to feel likethat they can't have some kind
of career in this space.
And being able to have peoplelike us that have kind of you
know, made the way, so to speak,for them to kind of continue to
keep going.
I know as I get older, I'mlooking below me to see who's
(15:16):
coming up, who can we continueto talk to and make sure they're
, in my opinion, making animpact too, because, again, it
doesn't mean you have to do allthese different things.
I'm doing just being a part ofit, having the conversation,
meeting the different women, sothat you can get different
perspectives about what everyoneelse does in the industry.
Again, I just think it makeseveryone just feel I don't know
(15:45):
the right word, but maybe it'sjust a comfortableness in doing
this.
There's times I get calls fromcompanies that are like hey, how
do I get more women into mycompany?
Because they are very maledominated and maybe it is just
all men and that's going to bechallenging.
So I think this is important tobuild these communities to talk
about that and then obviouslyinclude the men to help lift
women up, and I think with theBCS movement that's happening.
(16:06):
I think that's just a goodtestament to show you know there
are men that are supportingwomen, especially at that event
that we were just at and theamount of women that were at
that event.
I was actually shocked to seewhich you know.
Typically you wouldn't see thatas many at some of these places
, but it's just, it's veryinspiring to me.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Yes, I love so much of what you said.
One I care about upliftingwomen and bringing women in the
industry, but also like not juststepping foot into it, but how
do we get them to rise toleadership level?
Because I feel like we areseeing a lot more women, but
then if you go to womenleadership levels, that's where
(16:47):
things are starting to still notstarting.
They continue to still be less.
So I think that that's reallygreat, and I also loved that you
talked about we have to includemen in the conversation.
If we're all just the women inthe room talking about how we
want to rise and how we can besupported, but we're not talking
to the other side of thatconversation, If we're not being
(17:07):
like, hey, this is how you havethose conversations, this is
how you help us rise, is how youmake sure you have people on
your leadership team.
I love that people are reachingout to you and asking those
questions.
Part of that is like be alittle bit more inclusive in
your language and like makepeople feel welcome.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
No, exactly.
And the thing is men and womenare so different in the way that
they think and operate.
I know it might sound a littlecrazy, but it truly is.
And one of the things we'veeven done here is like we've had
a woman leadership coach forthe women, but my CEO, who's a
male, worked with the coach aswell to better understand women
and work better with women,because, again, sometimes I
don't know, people can feelintimidated, you know, going to
(17:49):
their boss if it's a male, maybeto try to get to the next level
.
I'm not saying that's always thecase, that that's out there,
but it is out there and it doeshappen.
So we need men in theconversation and, like you said,
really trying to.
How do you get to that nextlevel?
Do they want to get to thatnext level and what are the
barriers?
Let's talk about it so maybesomeone like myself or or you or
(18:12):
us women that have been here along time can can talk to them
about what they need to do to dothat absolutely.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
I think those pieces are so important and, yeah, we
just communicate differently.
I remember back in my days as areporter.
I I've always been in theindustrial spaces but I remember
talking to like a femaleengineer and she's like men want
fact and women tend to do alittle bit more storytelling
when they're like conveying apoint and she's like so I just
learned to get right to thepoint right away and I was like
that's so, it's so factual and Ithink it's changing a little
(18:48):
bit.
But just thinking about thingslike okay, I need to be prepared
to have stats and things when Ipresent to like a room full of
men, versus like a little bitmore of a narrative when I'm
presenting to women, or thingslike that, and I think that can
go both ways.
Those are I love that you havethat leadership coach for your
men too, because they can.
Then you know, women want thestory a little bit more and so
(19:11):
how can we engage in that way?
So I think that's great.
And you talked about a littlebit with that leadership coach,
but fostering the nextgeneration, bringing people up,
having these leadership coacheswhat else at your company are
you doing to make sure thatyou're kind of giving that space
for the next generation.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Yeah, so I will say we're more intentional about
this now.
But, like mentoring, crosstraining, I've been having
one-on-one conversations withour people to really understand,
like, what do they want to doin their career?
Do you want a career path to dosomething else?
Those are things that we'restill working on building out,
but I think, having theconversation to understand the
(19:50):
people here like what do theywant to do, where do they need
to go so we can actually work onthat.
We also encourage women and theyounger employees here to take
on different goals or rolesoutside of the company, like
there's different organizationsthat you know, strong girls or
strong women, strong girls Ialways say backwards dress for
(20:12):
success.
Getting involved in, likewhether it's charity events or
going to these networking eventsthat are out there.
Get visibility, use your voice,get involved in the outer
community.
There's things sometimes that Ican't go to or that I would go
to, that I'm like, hey, whydon't you think about this?
Webinars, training of coursethere's different educational
(20:35):
courses that are out therethrough some of the memberships
that we have, whether it'sthrough TIA or the IANA, things
like that, and I also think thatyou know whether it's through
like podcasting, speakingopportunities or internal
projects.
Again, just putting it outthere, I've had other people
here that are on podcasts, thatget asked to be on a podcast and
(20:57):
stuff, and I encourage that.
You know, it doesn't need tojust be me, the face of the
company that's doing this stuff.
I want them to kind of buildtheir own brand, do their own
thing.
And a specific example is wehave a new employee.
Well, she's been here probablyfor five, six months now.
She actually won our quarter oremployee of the quarter, and
(21:19):
she's just really stepping it up, going above and beyond, and
then I'm seeing her post stuffon LinkedIn.
And a perfect example is, youknow, she's wanting to build her
network and I reached out toher and said, hey, like, give me
some time and I'll work withyou on showing you some tips and
tools of how you can continueto build your network, because,
at the end of the day, everyoneneeds to have their own brand.
I even tell my salespeople thisYou're not selling the company,
(21:40):
you're selling yourselves Ifpeople want to work with you, do
something with you.
It's about you as a person, so Iencourage a lot of that.
Some people take advantage ofit and some people don't, but I
think we just have to be vocalabout it and make sure that
people know that these are thethings that we want them to be
able to, to get engaged with.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
I am so happy that you said all that because, from
the sales and marketing side ofthings, it's so one of the
biggest struggles we have isgetting leadership, buy in for
personal brand and having peopleexecute on that.
But it's so true, people wantto work with people and they
want to trust that you know whatyou're doing, and part of that
(22:22):
is developing your team to beable to be thought leaders, to
show up in spaces.
It's not just one person, it'sthe company.
So I just it made me happybecause what you just said is
like literally what we work tohelp our member companies be
able to like pitch to theirbosses and stuff.
Because it is so important andthere's so much going on in the
(22:43):
industry and the market rightnow showcasing on LinkedIn, on
social, that you're payingattention to these trends, that
you know what's going on, thatyour company can help your
customers, your prospects soimportant.
So great.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
It's absolutely crucial, and I'll tell you why
because I've had a salespersonand this was a long time ago,
right Trying to get into acustomer and was never able to
land that customer.
I switched up the salespersonand that salesperson totally
different, able to get that inthat door within a couple months
.
And sometimes I look at it asit's about the person.
(23:17):
If they don't like, hate to sayit, but how you look, how you
talk, any of that stuff theymight not want to work with you
at all.
So it could be something assimple as that, but like
building your brand if they seeyou online.
That's why someone here getsasked on podcasts because she's
building her brand online andthat's awesome, because then
people want to work with her.
That's how businesses grow andfor all the CEOs out there that
(23:41):
don't see that, this is verycrucial, extremely crucial,
because at the end of the day,if they don't like who they're
talking to right off the bat,they're not going to care about
the company they're representing.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
That's just how it is .
Absolutely so.
We've talked about the buildingyour brand, different things
you could do, but for youngerprofessionals, especially women
coming into the industry, whattype of advice do you have for
them to build a lasting careerin logistics?
Speaker 2 (24:08):
I would say don't be afraid to sit at the table, even
when you're the only womanthere, because I've done that.
I had to push myself to do thatoutside of my comfort zone.
Be comfortable.
Being uncomfortable that's whatpushes you to grow, no matter
what role you're in.
Be curious, be coachable and bebold.
(24:28):
Find mentors, ask questions andspeak up when something doesn't
seem right to you.
This industry is evolving andwe need more diverse voices
shaping its future, and I thinkeven in the past probably five,
six years it's been evolvingeven more than I've seen in my
whole career, so I think thatthose tips are extremely
(24:50):
important.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Absolutely, I agree.
And just curious you've been inthe industry for a long time.
What kind of legacy do you hopeto leave, both within your
company but in the industry fora long time?
What kind of legacy do you hopeto leave, both within your
company but in the industry atlarge?
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Yeah, no, absolutely Like I.
I really hope that my legacy isone of impact, not just in
revenue or awards, because I dotalk about that quite a bit, but
in how people felt, not justworking here, but working with
me, or the team that I have beenable to build here.
I want to be known for openingdoors for women, for doing
(25:27):
business the right way,specifically like ethic.
Ethically, I'm improving thatheart and hustle can build
something truly great.
I think that that is soimportant, um, because, at the
end of day, I could close upshop and be done tomorrow if I
wanted to, but that's not.
I'm not there yet and I want tocontinue to make an impact on
(25:48):
everybody that I possibly can.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Well, speaking as someone who has followed you and
then became friends with you, Ithink those goals are being
achieved and it's reallyexciting to um just watch you
navigate your career and see howyou really do impact and
empower other people in thespace.
Which is also why I asked youto come speak at the tmsa
(26:13):
elevate conference, because oneof the things I've always
respected about you is that,although you took over your
father's company, you really didwork.
All of the jobs you got on theground floor.
You understood the company, youunderstood the business.
You didn't just like roll up tothe leadership they want to be
like.
I'm here.
That's going to be part of whatyou share on stage for our
(26:34):
storytelling session.
There is still time to registerif you want to join us June 8th
through 10th in Austin, texas.
But what are you lookingforward to about elevate?
Speaker 2 (26:43):
it's been a few years since you've been at a tmsa
conference now it has, I think,reconnecting with different
people that maybe I haven'tconnected with before, because I
do think there's a differentlevel of people there, like, yes
, there's people I'm going toknow, but there's going to be a
lot of people I don't know, andbeing able to have that
conversation again.
How can I help you getsomething across, whether it's
(27:05):
to your CEO?
I think the last time someoneasked me, how do we get our CEO
to spend more money on marketing?
Because that's challenging,right, especially when you're
going through the time thatwe're going through the market.
Usually marketing is the firstcut in businesses, um, because
they feel that they can dowithout it, and you know we've
made some changes there as well,but I do know how important
(27:27):
marketing is.
You do need to have it.
Um, I just did hire anothermarketing person that starts
next week, so, um, yeah, just ayoung girl, but it is so
important because sometimes Idon't believe that you could
completely do marketing andbring in business without some
salespeople.
But you definitely needmarketing, no matter what.
(27:49):
Marketing can truly drivepeople to your business,
understand who your brand is,all of those things.
So I'm just excited about beingthere sharing my journey, so
people also see that, like youcan do what I've done.
I know I have an opportunitythat was maybe different than
most people, but it doesn't meanyou can't make something for
yourself and get there as well.
(28:10):
And then again, like I said,just meeting people that I
haven't met before and trying toget them to speak up right and
engage with them and see what Ican do to help.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Absolutely, and are there any key lessons from your
early roles in the industry thatguide you still today?
Speaker 2 (28:31):
I would say.
I mean, every role has taughtme something.
I've learned how to talk tocustomers with respect, how to
solve problems under pressure,how every person in the company
plays a vital role, no matterwhat role they're in.
You know, sometimes I would saythe finance department feels
like it's the redheadedstepchild, but it's an extremely
important role in the companyand operations affects that, and
(28:54):
you know, vice versa.
So I never asked someone, though, to do something I wouldn't do
myself or haven't done myself.
So I think today I still carrythat mentality and I make sure
the people here do know thatI've done these roles.
Some people didn't know that.
You know, I take the new personout to lunch and have kind of
that first talk with them aboutexpectations and stuff.
(29:17):
But I think, sitting down andtelling them that stuff, there's
just a different respect there.
So at the end of the day, youknow, I do think you know, you
just learn.
I don't wouldn't say it's a onekey lesson, it's just I've been
able to learn a lot ofdifferent things from every role
(29:37):
and knowing that every role isdifferent but it has an impact,
no matter what.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
The role is Wonderful .
Well, I really appreciate youcoming on the show and coming to
the TMSA Elevate Conference.
I do have my last question foryou that I ask everyone who
comes on the show, and that's ifyou could go back in time and
advise a younger Christyanything personally or
professionally.
When would you go back to andwhat would you tell her?
Speaker 2 (29:59):
I would probably say my early 20s, when I first
stepped into leadership.
I'd tell myself to trust my gutmore and speak up a lot sooner.
Don't wait for permission tolead.
Because I want to say in 2013,I finally did not wait for
permission to lead and just didmake a decision that needed to
(30:20):
happen.
So I think the stronger thanyou think in the world needs
what you bring to the table,like you just need to know what
you can bring to the table.
Because I think back then Ididn't feel I had a voice.
I was too afraid to kind ofstep out of that shell once I
started to yeah, there was a lotof drama there with my dad, but
eventually I did what wasneeded.
That shell once I started toyeah, there was a lot of drama
(30:40):
there with my dad, buteventually I did what was needed
and I'd never looked back.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
To be quite honest, I think that's really great
advice Trusting ourselves alittle bit more.
Yeah Well, I'm excited to seeyou in Austin in just a few
weeks.
If you're interested incatching us on the show next
week, I'll be chatting withJillian Montrello a video
request.
She will also be speaking atElevate and talking all about
how sales and marketing peoplecan really utilize videos.
(31:07):
Really excited for that chat,Excited to head to Austin in a
few weeks and thank you so muchfor coming on the show.
It was great to talk to you.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
Yeah, great to see you and I'll see you soon, thank
you.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
Thank you.
Hello everyone, welcome to On the Move, a show
where we share transportation,sales and marketing success
stories.
I am Jennifer Karpis-Romain,executive Director at the
Transportation Marketing andSales Association, which is a
trade nonprofit educating andconnecting marketing and sales
professionals in transportationand logistics, and today on the
(00:48):
show I have Christy Knitchell,ceo of Knitchell Logistics.
Welcome to the show, christy.
How are you doing today?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Doing great.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I am so excited to have you on the show today we
were talking before we went livehere that I am battling a bit
of a headache today.
But I was so excited to talk toyou that we are powering
through it and getting throughthe day.
But you've been in thelogistics industry for a long
time and really excited to kindof hear your journey a little
(01:18):
bit.
But what has kept you motivatedand inspired over the years?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
So I think what's kept me going is knowing that
I'm building something thatmakes an impact, not just in
moving freight but changingpeople's lives.
You know, motivated by my team,our partners, vendors,
customers especially the womenthat are entering into the space
, who didn't always seethemselves here and, of course,
(01:44):
my family family I don't want toforget that.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
but you know, I think , being a part of everyone's
journey, that I'm either workingwith um, whether in the company
or outside, and watching theirsuccess definitely fuels me I
love that and I do think I meanyou took over a family but you
did so much to get there, so Ithink having that family piece
(02:06):
is really important and I'mcurious throughout the years,
how has your leadership styleevolved as the company and as
the industry has changed?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
I would say, early on I felt I had to do everything
myself.
I think, honestly, early on youjust had to do everything
yourself, being a smallerbusiness and growing into a
bigger business.
So over time I think I'velearned the power of trust and
delegation.
I think there's times wherepeople you know, or even myself,
have still tried to hold on tothat.
(02:37):
But I think as we have grown,I've shifted from being in the
weeds to empowering others tolead, make those decisions,
giving them the autonomy to dothat.
I've definitely become moreintentional, more strategic,
specifically more in the pastcouple of years.
But I've also embraced coachingas a core part of my role, not
(02:58):
just for myself but for thepeople within the company.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I love that.
I think that's really importantto think about, and I know,
like at TMSA, we have a smallheadquarter team and we're
trying to grow it out.
But you do, you have to trustthe people around you, you have
to coach them to get them there,which I think is incredibly
important too, and so I likethat.
You said that I think too oftenwe were like, oh, we have to
micromanage, or things are goingto get done, but sometimes it's
(03:24):
like, hey, we have to trainthem and show them the way and
then let them figure out theirown way, and if we don't do that
, they're not going to succeed.
Of course, they can't take thatweight on if we don't let them
try.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yeah, and, interesting enough, I will just
add to this as well that's oneof the things we're struggling
with middle management right nowand honestly, I can understand
it because I was there, so Ifeel like I know what needs to
happen to get the people out ofthat holding on to the stuff
that needs to be done instead of, you know, delegating and
(03:58):
making their life easier.
But I think one of those tipsI'll just share and I told my
leadership team this today wehave to tell them what we need
them to do and give themdeadlines to do it, Because I
think in the past we tell themwe expect them to do it, but
right now our management teamunderneath the leadership team
is in the weeds, and theyshouldn't necessarily be in the
(04:20):
weeds, but they have to be rightnow, at this moment, so they
don't have time to think aboutthese other things that need to
be done or executed ordelegating.
So it's like we have to tellthem that this needs to be done
this way.
This is what's happening onthese days to just help push
them through that.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
I think that's really important and deadlines are
incredibly important to thatpiece of the process.
I think that we wanna make surewe're setting people up for
success and part of that issetting the parameters and how
to get there.
And so if we don't setdeadlines, if we don't tell
people "'Hey, this is when weneed something done' and then
(04:57):
they don't give it to us in thetimeframe that we think that
they should give it to us, weget angry or upset or they think
they're not doing it.
But really that's kind of on usto be like okay, no, you have x
amount of time to get this done.
If you're not going to likelet's talk through why and how
and like how can we like helpyou achieve these goals?
Speaker 2 (05:16):
and I feel like, as leaders, sometimes we forget
those components yeah, you'respot on, because I do think part
of it too is like you're alsotrying to train them on things
that we've done.
So again, you expect them tojust kind of pick it up because
we've done it for so long, andthen you forget what it was like
being in that position, tryingto learn and understand what the
(05:36):
expectations are, so absolutely.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Yes, and especially to like you can have the best
processes in place.
Yes, and especially, too, likeyou can have the best processes
in place.
But if there's a new humancoming in and taking over for
somebody else, their brains justmight not work in the same way
and so it may have taken thatother person quickly to pick up
or adapt, or like they're theone that created the position or
the role or the process so itmade sense to them.
(06:00):
But we have to take that timeto make sure it's making sense
for the new people too yeah,sometimes it's a different
language, right with a differentgeneration even of people.
So absolutely, and we talkedabout this a little bit as we're
going through here but what iskind of one leadership lesson?
You really had to learn thehard way so that you could adapt
(06:21):
for the future.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
So we just went through this this past year so
that not everyone is meant togrow with you.
I think a lot of people knowthat I've had a lot of people
work for me for a long time, soletting go of people, especially
ones that you care about, canbe incredibly hard, especially
since they've, you know, some ofthese people again have been
here a long time, so holding ontoo long can slow down the
(06:46):
entire organization.
I've learned that doing theright thing for the business
sometimes means making tough andvery emotional decisions.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Yeah, yeah, that's a hard one to learn, for sure.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Yeah, and I would say just to elaborate, like we're
at a level in the business, likea turning point at this hundred
million mark, where every CEO Italk about this is a tough mark
to be at and where differentchange has to come into play and
strategy and execution.
And you know as much as I lovethe people that have been here
and helping the company get towhere we're at, sometimes those
(07:20):
same people can't get over thechallenges or see, you know,
through the trees, the biggerpicture.
We work with those peopleobviously in getting some
coaching and all that kind ofstuff, but sometimes those
people just aren't going to makeit.
And one of the things I thinkwe've learned about that too is
in the past, most of the peoplewe've held on to to try to get
(07:40):
them there ultimately end up notbeing able to stay.
So then you look back at howmuch time, I don't want to say,
is wasted but how?
much time.
You really couldn't moveforward because you're trying to
get someone there, you know, sothat they continue to be a part
of your team, but ultimately ithurts the organization.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Yes, I think that kind of goes back to like
deadlines and parameters too,like, okay, what is a real
marker of success?
Can we get somebody here?
What we need them to do?
And one thing like I've learnedin my own leadership journey is
, like evolves, like your needschange with the market and with
your structure, and if oneperson your team leaves, it's
(08:23):
not always a direct replacementof that person.
It's like okay, well, if thatperson's gone, what skill sets
do we need to bring in?
What really makes sense for ushere?
How do we fill the void or makeit different or change?
And I think sometimes we getstuck of like, okay, this
person's gone, we have toreplace them.
but like, taking that step backand really thinking through what
the best structure is to moveforward is really important
(08:45):
absolutely and in an industrythat's known for its pace and
its pressure and, like you said,you're at this like big
milestone marker a lot of change, a lot movement.
But how do you stay groundedand sane in all of the change?
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Yeah, I mean that's a tough one.
I will say I remind myself whyI started.
I know early on I had somechallenges working with my
father you know that was like 28years ago but I always had this
vision of what the companycould be down the road if I just
continued to just push through.
I think that's one of thebiggest things I always say is
(09:23):
just pushing through.
But I lean on my family.
I have a lot of mentors that Iwork with my team.
I also, you know, try to makespace for reflection, whether
that's just taking some quiettime before you know my day
starts, or taking that time likeon my way home, sometimes
calling someone and having thosediscussions, just being
(09:46):
connected to the purpose and notjust like the performance.
It's easy to say like I'm donewith this, I just want to throw
the towel in, and that happens alot of times, going in your
head, you know, but um, if itwas easy, everyone would be
doing it.
Um, and I think for me it'scoming into this when I was 19,
(10:08):
quitting college and being ableto get to where I am today, I
think has just continues to pushme because I want to also be
that role model, thatinspiration that other people
can look up to and say I can dothis too, and I feel like, if I
stop, I don't want someone elseto think like that's okay,
because we can keep doing whatwe want to do.
(10:29):
You just have to put the time,effort.
You have to have the passionfor it, though, too, and I do
have a passion for what I dohere, not just in the business,
but, I think, just in theindustry overall, and being able
to work with all these greatpeople, that that we meet,
getting to know them, and it'sjust a great industry to be in,
so I think a lot of times thatreminds me, too, of why we're
(10:51):
doing this.
Um, and just the fact that youknow you cannot buy anything
without a truck delivering it,and being a part of, like, all
of that movement that happensthroughout the country to me is
just very special.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
It is special and it is a community to that's really
fun and engaging to be a part of.
And I agree it gets hard andsometimes you want to just be
like no, I need the nap forever,and but it is and I love what
you said like if I, if I give up, if I stop going, then the
(11:29):
people who look to me are goingto do that too, and so sometimes
that's all we need to keeppushing.
Yeah, knowing people arewatching you whether that's my.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
We need to keep pushing is that knowing people
are watching you, whether that'smy son, family, people around
me, but specifically people inthe industry because, again,
I've put myself in a position tohelp, to be an advocate, to be
an inspiration to other people.
So, yes, that definitely goesacross my mind at times, um, but
I think that's normal, though,in doing what we do as a CEO, to
(11:59):
have those ups and downs.
It's never going to just beeasy.
It's like a roller coaster.
I always say you have your gooddays, you have your bad days,
but at the end of the day, we'rebuilding something here that I
love being able to provide jobsfor people, for them to make
themselves successful, take careof their families too.
And, obviously, when there'sthings that don't go well, the
(12:21):
first thing my mind is I haveall these people that work for
me say, 56 people and theirfamilies and just being
cognizant of that, as you'regrowing a business and knowing
how that affects people.
Or, again, if you want to bedone and sell the company at
some point again, you know, juststarts pulling on you like,
okay, well, what does thisreally mean at the end of the
day, and who is going to affect?
(12:43):
I'm always thinking abouteveryone else instead of myself,
I think sometimes, but itdoesn't mean that I don't like
what I do or enjoy, you know,building this business.
But but all of those things, Iguess, wrapped in one.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Yeah, well, it's a lot of pressure and it's a
really tough market right now,and so all of that pressure
comes in and I think what yousaid before you just got to keep
pushing through and keepworking.
I think it's a good segue.
We saw each other a couple ofweeks ago at Broker Carrier
Summit and there is the Women inLogistics group and that's a
big thing that you're a part of.
So I know that you're verypassionate about advocating and
(13:22):
helping other women join theindustry, so can you tell us a
little bit more about Women inLogistics?
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Yeah, no, absolutely so.
Being a part of just Women inLogistics at the Broker Carrier
Summit, I think is reallyimportant, because it's
something that I think isdifferent than some of the other
things that are going on outthere.
Yes, there's women in truckingand there's these forums for
these women to go to, to kind ofcome together, but I think this
(13:48):
is a conference that's a littlebit different, that you're
bringing in different types ofpeople from different areas of
the supply chain, types ofpeople from different areas of
the supply chain and, I think,being able to build a community
I always say a tribe as well ofpeople around you that you can
relate to and then also helplift them up.
One of the things that I thinkinspires me to do this is the
(14:11):
fact I didn't have this when Iwas younger.
I didn't have people I could goto.
There wasn't any like women inlogistics launches or, you know,
women gatherings or any of thattill.
I didn't have people I could goto.
There wasn't any like women inlogistics lunches or, you know,
women gatherings or any of thattill.
I don't know, I wouldn't.
Maybe 10 years ago some of thisstarted up, but I think it's so
important for women to not justfeel safe but have other women
(14:32):
to look around to and have thoseconversations, not saying you
can't talk to men of course weall do and have that, that
support too, but it is differentwhen you're the only woman in
the room or there's only a fewof us.
So I do think it's a veryimportant mission not just for
me, but for a lot of women outthere I know it is for you as
well to just continue to buildthis up.
This is a great career for anywoman to have in any piece of
(14:55):
the supply chain, and there's somany different positions and I
don't want women to feel likethat they can't have some kind
of career in this space.
And being able to have peoplelike us that have kind of you
know, made the way, so to speak,for them to kind of continue to
keep going.
I know as I get older, I'mlooking below me to see who's
(15:16):
coming up, who can we continueto talk to and make sure they're
, in my opinion, making animpact too, because, again, it
doesn't mean you have to do allthese different things.
I'm doing just being a part ofit, having the conversation,
meeting the different women, sothat you can get different
perspectives about what everyoneelse does in the industry.
Again, I just think it makeseveryone just feel I don't know
(15:45):
the right word, but maybe it'sjust a comfortableness in doing
this.
There's times I get calls fromcompanies that are like hey, how
do I get more women into mycompany?
Because they are very maledominated and maybe it is just
all men and that's going to bechallenging.
So I think this is important tobuild these communities to talk
about that and then obviouslyinclude the men to help lift
women up, and I think with theBCS movement that's happening.
(16:06):
I think that's just a goodtestament to show you know there
are men that are supportingwomen, especially at that event
that we were just at and theamount of women that were at
that event.
I was actually shocked to seewhich you know.
Typically you wouldn't see thatas many at some of these places
, but it's just, it's veryinspiring to me.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Yes, I love so much of what you said.
One I care about upliftingwomen and bringing women in the
industry, but also like not juststepping foot into it, but how
do we get them to rise toleadership level?
Because I feel like we areseeing a lot more women, but
then if you go to womenleadership levels, that's where
(16:47):
things are starting to still notstarting.
They continue to still be less.
So I think that that's reallygreat, and I also loved that you
talked about we have to includemen in the conversation.
If we're all just the women inthe room talking about how we
want to rise and how we can besupported, but we're not talking
to the other side of thatconversation, If we're not being
(17:07):
like, hey, this is how you havethose conversations, this is
how you help us rise, is how youmake sure you have people on
your leadership team.
I love that people are reachingout to you and asking those
questions.
Part of that is like be alittle bit more inclusive in
your language and like makepeople feel welcome.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
No, exactly.
And the thing is men and womenare so different in the way that
they think and operate.
I know it might sound a littlecrazy, but it truly is.
And one of the things we'veeven done here is like we've had
a woman leadership coach forthe women, but my CEO, who's a
male, worked with the coach aswell to better understand women
and work better with women,because, again, sometimes I
don't know, people can feelintimidated, you know, going to
(17:49):
their boss if it's a male, maybeto try to get to the next level
.
I'm not saying that's always thecase, that that's out there,
but it is out there and it doeshappen.
So we need men in theconversation and, like you said,
really trying to.
How do you get to that nextlevel?
Do they want to get to thatnext level and what are the
barriers?
Let's talk about it so maybesomeone like myself or or you or
(18:12):
us women that have been here along time can can talk to them
about what they need to do to dothat absolutely.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
I think those pieces are so important and, yeah, we
just communicate differently.
I remember back in my days as areporter.
I I've always been in theindustrial spaces but I remember
talking to like a femaleengineer and she's like men want
fact and women tend to do alittle bit more storytelling
when they're like conveying apoint and she's like so I just
learned to get right to thepoint right away and I was like
that's so, it's so factual and Ithink it's changing a little
(18:48):
bit.
But just thinking about thingslike okay, I need to be prepared
to have stats and things when Ipresent to like a room full of
men, versus like a little bitmore of a narrative when I'm
presenting to women, or thingslike that, and I think that can
go both ways.
Those are I love that you havethat leadership coach for your
men too, because they can.
Then you know, women want thestory a little bit more and so
(19:11):
how can we engage in that way?
So I think that's great.
And you talked about a littlebit with that leadership coach,
but fostering the nextgeneration, bringing people up,
having these leadership coacheswhat else at your company are
you doing to make sure thatyou're kind of giving that space
for the next generation.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Yeah, so I will say we're more intentional about
this now.
But, like mentoring, crosstraining, I've been having
one-on-one conversations withour people to really understand,
like, what do they want to doin their career?
Do you want a career path to dosomething else?
Those are things that we'restill working on building out,
but I think, having theconversation to understand the
(19:50):
people here like what do theywant to do, where do they need
to go so we can actually work onthat.
We also encourage women and theyounger employees here to take
on different goals or rolesoutside of the company, like
there's different organizationsthat you know, strong girls or
strong women, strong girls Ialways say backwards dress for
(20:12):
success.
Getting involved in, likewhether it's charity events or
going to these networking eventsthat are out there.
Get visibility, use your voice,get involved in the outer
community.
There's things sometimes that Ican't go to or that I would go
to, that I'm like, hey, whydon't you think about this?
Webinars, training of coursethere's different educational
(20:35):
courses that are out therethrough some of the memberships
that we have, whether it'sthrough TIA or the IANA, things
like that, and I also think thatyou know whether it's through
like podcasting, speakingopportunities or internal
projects.
Again, just putting it outthere, I've had other people
here that are on podcasts, thatget asked to be on a podcast and
(20:57):
stuff, and I encourage that.
You know, it doesn't need tojust be me, the face of the
company that's doing this stuff.
I want them to kind of buildtheir own brand, do their own
thing.
And a specific example is wehave a new employee.
Well, she's been here probablyfor five, six months now.
She actually won our quarter oremployee of the quarter, and
(21:19):
she's just really stepping it up, going above and beyond, and
then I'm seeing her post stuffon LinkedIn.
And a perfect example is, youknow, she's wanting to build her
network and I reached out toher and said, hey, like, give me
some time and I'll work withyou on showing you some tips and
tools of how you can continueto build your network, because,
at the end of the day, everyoneneeds to have their own brand.
I even tell my salespeople thisYou're not selling the company,
(21:40):
you're selling yourselves Ifpeople want to work with you, do
something with you.
It's about you as a person, so Iencourage a lot of that.
Some people take advantage ofit and some people don't, but I
think we just have to be vocalabout it and make sure that
people know that these are thethings that we want them to be
able to, to get engaged with.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
I am so happy that you said all that because, from
the sales and marketing side ofthings, it's so one of the
biggest struggles we have isgetting leadership, buy in for
personal brand and having peopleexecute on that.
But it's so true, people wantto work with people and they
want to trust that you know whatyou're doing, and part of that
(22:22):
is developing your team to beable to be thought leaders, to
show up in spaces.
It's not just one person, it'sthe company.
So I just it made me happybecause what you just said is
like literally what we work tohelp our member companies be
able to like pitch to theirbosses and stuff.
Because it is so important andthere's so much going on in the
(22:43):
industry and the market rightnow showcasing on LinkedIn, on
social, that you're payingattention to these trends, that
you know what's going on, thatyour company can help your
customers, your prospects soimportant.
So great.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
It's absolutely crucial, and I'll tell you why
because I've had a salespersonand this was a long time ago,
right Trying to get into acustomer and was never able to
land that customer.
I switched up the salespersonand that salesperson totally
different, able to get that inthat door within a couple months
.
And sometimes I look at it asit's about the person.
(23:17):
If they don't like, hate to sayit, but how you look, how you
talk, any of that stuff theymight not want to work with you
at all.
So it could be something assimple as that, but like
building your brand if they seeyou online.
That's why someone here getsasked on podcasts because she's
building her brand online andthat's awesome, because then
people want to work with her.
That's how businesses grow andfor all the CEOs out there that
(23:41):
don't see that, this is verycrucial, extremely crucial,
because at the end of the day,if they don't like who they're
talking to right off the bat,they're not going to care about
the company they're representing.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
That's just how it is .
Absolutely so.
We've talked about the buildingyour brand, different things
you could do, but for youngerprofessionals, especially women
coming into the industry, whattype of advice do you have for
them to build a lasting careerin logistics?
Speaker 2 (24:08):
I would say don't be afraid to sit at the table, even
when you're the only womanthere, because I've done that.
I had to push myself to do thatoutside of my comfort zone.
Be comfortable.
Being uncomfortable that's whatpushes you to grow, no matter
what role you're in.
Be curious, be coachable and bebold.
(24:28):
Find mentors, ask questions andspeak up when something doesn't
seem right to you.
This industry is evolving andwe need more diverse voices
shaping its future, and I thinkeven in the past probably five,
six years it's been evolvingeven more than I've seen in my
whole career, so I think thatthose tips are extremely
(24:50):
important.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Absolutely, I agree.
And just curious you've been inthe industry for a long time.
What kind of legacy do you hopeto leave, both within your
company but in the industry fora long time?
What kind of legacy do you hopeto leave, both within your
company but in the industry atlarge?
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Yeah, no, absolutely Like I.
I really hope that my legacy isone of impact, not just in
revenue or awards, because I dotalk about that quite a bit, but
in how people felt, not justworking here, but working with
me, or the team that I have beenable to build here.
I want to be known for openingdoors for women, for doing
(25:27):
business the right way,specifically like ethic.
Ethically, I'm improving thatheart and hustle can build
something truly great.
I think that that is soimportant, um, because, at the
end of day, I could close upshop and be done tomorrow if I
wanted to, but that's not.
I'm not there yet and I want tocontinue to make an impact on
(25:48):
everybody that I possibly can.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Well, speaking as someone who has followed you and
then became friends with you, Ithink those goals are being
achieved and it's reallyexciting to um just watch you
navigate your career and see howyou really do impact and
empower other people in thespace.
Which is also why I asked youto come speak at the tmsa
(26:13):
elevate conference, because oneof the things I've always
respected about you is that,although you took over your
father's company, you really didwork.
All of the jobs you got on theground floor.
You understood the company, youunderstood the business.
You didn't just like roll up tothe leadership they want to be
like.
I'm here.
That's going to be part of whatyou share on stage for our
(26:34):
storytelling session.
There is still time to registerif you want to join us June 8th
through 10th in Austin, texas.
But what are you lookingforward to about elevate?
Speaker 2 (26:43):
it's been a few years since you've been at a tmsa
conference now it has, I think,reconnecting with different
people that maybe I haven'tconnected with before, because I
do think there's a differentlevel of people there, like, yes
, there's people I'm going toknow, but there's going to be a
lot of people I don't know, andbeing able to have that
conversation again.
How can I help you getsomething across, whether it's
(27:05):
to your CEO?
I think the last time someoneasked me, how do we get our CEO
to spend more money on marketing?
Because that's challenging,right, especially when you're
going through the time thatwe're going through the market.
Usually marketing is the firstcut in businesses, um, because
they feel that they can dowithout it, and you know we've
made some changes there as well,but I do know how important
(27:27):
marketing is.
You do need to have it.
Um, I just did hire anothermarketing person that starts
next week, so, um, yeah, just ayoung girl, but it is so
important because sometimes Idon't believe that you could
completely do marketing andbring in business without some
salespeople.
But you definitely needmarketing, no matter what.
(27:49):
Marketing can truly drivepeople to your business,
understand who your brand is,all of those things.
So I'm just excited about beingthere sharing my journey, so
people also see that, like youcan do what I've done.
I know I have an opportunitythat was maybe different than
most people, but it doesn't meanyou can't make something for
yourself and get there as well.
(28:10):
And then again, like I said,just meeting people that I
haven't met before and trying toget them to speak up right and
engage with them and see what Ican do to help.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Absolutely, and are there any key lessons from your
early roles in the industry thatguide you still today?
Speaker 2 (28:31):
I would say.
I mean, every role has taughtme something.
I've learned how to talk tocustomers with respect, how to
solve problems under pressure,how every person in the company
plays a vital role, no matterwhat role they're in.
You know, sometimes I would saythe finance department feels
like it's the redheadedstepchild, but it's an extremely
important role in the companyand operations affects that, and
(28:54):
you know, vice versa.
So I never asked someone, though, to do something I wouldn't do
myself or haven't done myself.
So I think today I still carrythat mentality and I make sure
the people here do know thatI've done these roles.
Some people didn't know that.
You know, I take the new personout to lunch and have kind of
that first talk with them aboutexpectations and stuff.
(29:17):
But I think, sitting down andtelling them that stuff, there's
just a different respect there.
So at the end of the day, youknow, I do think you know, you
just learn.
I don't wouldn't say it's a onekey lesson, it's just I've been
able to learn a lot ofdifferent things from every role
(29:37):
and knowing that every role isdifferent but it has an impact,
no matter what.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
The role is Wonderful .
Well, I really appreciate youcoming on the show and coming to
the TMSA Elevate Conference.
I do have my last question foryou that I ask everyone who
comes on the show, and that's ifyou could go back in time and
advise a younger Christyanything personally or
professionally.
When would you go back to andwhat would you tell her?
Speaker 2 (29:59):
I would probably say my early 20s, when I first
stepped into leadership.
I'd tell myself to trust my gutmore and speak up a lot sooner.
Don't wait for permission tolead.
Because I want to say in 2013,I finally did not wait for
permission to lead and just didmake a decision that needed to
(30:20):
happen.
So I think the stronger thanyou think in the world needs
what you bring to the table,like you just need to know what
you can bring to the table.
Because I think back then Ididn't feel I had a voice.
I was too afraid to kind ofstep out of that shell once I
started to yeah, there was a lotof drama there with my dad, but
eventually I did what wasneeded.
That shell once I started toyeah, there was a lot of drama
(30:40):
there with my dad, buteventually I did what was needed
and I'd never looked back.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
To be quite honest, I think that's really great
advice Trusting ourselves alittle bit more.
Yeah Well, I'm excited to seeyou in Austin in just a few
weeks.
If you're interested incatching us on the show next
week, I'll be chatting withJillian Montrello a video
request.
She will also be speaking atElevate and talking all about
how sales and marketing peoplecan really utilize videos.
(31:07):
Really excited for that chat,Excited to head to Austin in a
few weeks and thank you so muchfor coming on the show.
It was great to talk to you.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
Yeah, great to see you and I'll see you soon, thank
you.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
Thank you.
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